Hello, everyone! I personally love Christmastime and the tradition of giving gifts to each other. I know we don’t celebrate Christmas at the right time of year, and I know it’s been twisted and warped by pagans and modern culture (also pagans?) alike, but I believe that we can still claim it for something beautiful: a time of remembering our Savior’s humble birth in light of the cross, a time for “peace on earth” and “good will to men,” a time for connecting with family and friends, and a time of giving gifts to others as a way of showing our love. “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35), and as long as we remember that, we have captured at least some of the essence of what Christmas is.

I don’t think my personal “love language” is gift-giving, but it’s one of my favorite ways to show love to others. I especially love giving specific gifts that fit unique parts of an individual’s personality, and part of the art lies in (obviously) knowing the other person really well! Supporting small businesses is high on my priority list, and I’ve recently heard of quite a few fun, interesting products from small companies run by people I know in real life or by interacting over the internet, so I thought it would be neat to highlight some of those products in my gift guide along with a few products from more mainstream companies like Amazon….

This comforting Vegetable Beef Soup is the perfect winter evening meal to warm your soul…and your innards. It’s a THM S meal and low carb and doesn’t even require any special ingredients!

Feel free to tweak this soup with your favorite vegetables if you don’t like some of the ones I have listed (although I highly recommend that you try it as written!). The radishes mimic potatoes, and the okra breaks down during the long cooking time and adds body to the soup. I think some frozen green beans would be a great addition! This may seem like a lot of mushrooms, but they disappear when they cook down and add a wonderful meatiness and flavor to the soup.